ANC says it views the five countries’ interference as an act to influence the election outcome

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has condemned the interference of the US, Germany, UK, Netherlands, and Switzerland in the country’s internal affairs matters in an official statement released on Monday.

The statement follows a report published by the Sunday Times that claimed that the five world powers, which reportedly account for 75 percent of foreign direct investment in SA, have warned President Cyril Ramaphosa to take a clear political commitment to the rule of law, reported EyeWitness News.

The Embassies of the five countries called out Ramaphosa to take tangible action against the perpetrators of state capture, corruption, and other serious crimes in order to attract foreign direct investment into the country.

In response to the memorandum, ANC said It did not appreciate the five countries giving threats and warnings directly to the South African President. The ruling party further ensured that they were already in the process of ridding the country of state capture and corruption.

“These countries decided to communicate directly with the president of our country via their embassies, an act that can be deemed as undermining and dismissive of diplomatic practices,” the statement read. “They leaked their letters to the media, suggesting they had less than honorable intentions.”

The party said it views the five countries’ interference as an act to influence the outcome of this year’s elections. It interpreted the matter as a threat from the foreign governments, calling them imperialist forces that have a “holier-than-though” stance on corruption.

In the statement, the party noted that they viewed the international interference as another form of state capture. They cautioned that they won’t let the government swap one attempt of state capture and corruption for another.